Awakening
by Blustarzengel3
Summary: A new mutant girl named Linda arrives at the Institute and attracts the attention of Scott Summers, much to Jean's dismay. When a camping trip turns fatal, lives are turned upside down, leaving Jean to decide whether or not to save Linda's life and lose a
1. Default Chapter

Title: Awakening  
  
Author: IceAngel8  
  
Disclaimer: None of the X-Men characters, except for Linda, aka Ripple, belong to me.   
  
Rating: PG:13  
  
Feedback: Yup, I would definitely love to see what you thought! So start reviewing ;)  
  
Summary: A new mutant arrives at the Institute, bringing many changes along with her. Linda, a beauty with dark brown hair and mischievous green eyes, comes to the Institute to get help focusing and mastering her power. Scott Summers is assigned to be her guide around Bayville High, where Charles Xavier has enrolled her in, and soon begins to feel an undoubtable attraction toward Linda. Linda returns Scott's feelings and they begin to date, much to Jean's dismay. When the X-Men, including Linda, take a camping trip in the woods, they don't expect to find the Brotherhood there too. A heated argument between Scott and Lance break outs and the two begin to show off their powers. Between Scott's deadly lasers and the ominous rumbling of the earth caused by Lance, the X-Men and Brotherhood are in serious trouble. Linda and Kitty are knocked unconscious and the ground rips the two groups apart. Suddenly Jean is faced with a hard decision. Should she save Linda, on the verge of death, and let any possible romantic future with Scott be diminished or should she let her die?   
  
Author's Notes: After watching X-Men United, the sequel, I felt a strong pull to create a character and place them into the Xavier Institute, but back when they were all teens in X-Men Evo. Now, this character isn't based on myself in anyway! She doesn't even have my physical qualities, except for very dark brown hair like mine. Also, her talents all came from my mind, not my life. Although I am quite flexible and agile, I am no way like Linda in the story. Plus, I dislike ballet. I am more of a karate person, a fighter. And although Linda's power is extraordinary and I wouldn't mind having it, my favorite character in X-Men Evo is Shadowcat!   
  
AN2: My favorite pairings of all time on X-Men Evo is Lance/Kitty and Jean/Scott but for the purposes of this fic, I brought in a beautiful, charming, flirty girl that will soon turn both of these guys' heads. That's why I started this fic, to delve into the romantic relationships of four vastly different mutants and how their lives would change when a beautiful stranger arrived. Enjoy!  
  
Part 1  
Linda Goldstein stared up at the mansion in wonder and nervous excitement. She was finally here, about to be under the instruction of the world's greatest intellectual, Charles Xavier. He was a powerful mutant and taught other younger mutants how to develop their powers and use them to their advantage, instead of the powers controlling them. That was why Linda had come here, to Bayville, a quaint little town so very unlike New York, where she'd been born and raised. Linda had been fourteen years old, studying at her best friend's, Stacy's, house. With no warning, the air had rippled, pushing back Stacy and throwing her right through the window and down two stories. Both girls had screamed bloody murder, until the shatter of the window glass cut off Stacy's voice. Linda had raced to the window and stared down helplessly as her best friend plummeted toward the ground and hit it with a sickly thud. Linda had kept screaming, as white as a ghost and in horrified shock.   
  
Everything went by quickly afterwards. The screams had brought Stacy's father upstairs to his daughter's bedroom only to find the window completely broken, glass scattered about everywhere, and no sign of Stacy. Linda had run to him, crying hysterically, her words all rushed and confusing. But he had understood, somehow, and immediately ran downstairs, already calling 911 on his cellular phone. Stacy had been rushed off to the hospital, with Linda riding in another ambulance behind her. Stacy had several broken ribs, a twisted ankle and a concussion that kept her in a coma for about a month. Her doctor said there would be no permanent memory loss, for which Linda was deeply thankful. She knew it had been her doing, the air changing the way it did, sending Stacy flying out through to the window and possibly, to her death. Her parents had also suspected it and after many lengthy conversations, they had contacted Charles Xavier, who promised to help their daughter control this newfound power and ultimately adjust to it. The Goldstein family agreed to let Linda live in Bayville for the remainder of her sophomore year in high school, and so here she was.  
  
Suddenly the front doors swung open and a beautiful redheaded girl stepped out, wearing a black spaghetti strapped tank-top and jeans. Her electrifying green eyes fixed onto Linda's and she glanced at her curiously before a smile lit up her face.   
  
"You must be Linda Goldstein, right? We've been waiting all morning for you!" The girl said, jogging lightly up to Linda and extending her hand. "I'm Jean Grey. Welcome to the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters."   
  
"Hi, Jean." Linda said, smiling genuinely at the stranger. "So everyone has powers here?"   
  
"Yeah, all of us came here to be taught skills on how to use them." Jean nodded, still smiling. "Everyone here has some kind of different power and we're all friends, as well as roommates. Actually, your room happens to be right beside mine, so we can get to know each other better sometime."   
  
Linda grinned back at her. "Yeah, I'd really like that."   
  
"Well come on then, the Professor is waiting for us in the Danger Room. He wants to see what you can do, Linda." Jean said, leading the way up the stairs and into the cavernous greeting hall.   
  
"Danger Room?" Linda asked, confused. She followed Jean past the grand, sweeping staircase with its gold banisters and into the elevator that was hidden behind a corner.   
  
"The Danger Room is where we do our daily morning routine. It's an exercise room. You will be demonstrating your power there today. We all use our powers there, because it's the safest place in the house to do so without causing any destruction." Jean informed Linda, pushing a button on the control panel. It flashed once and then glowed a bright red.   
  
Linda nodded, holding onto a silver bar that was fastened to the wall as the elevator headed downward. "So, uh, Charles Xavier wants me to show him what I can do?" she asked and Jean nodded, brushing a lock of her hair away from her eyes. "Well, you see I don't really know how to call upon my power. It came out once, a year ago, and I haven't, uh, used it since."   
  
Jean didn't miss a beat. "The Professor will call upon your power. The Danger Room is designed for practically every situation, so therefore, for your power to come out, we will run a series of experiments and see which triggers your power."   
  
"I have seen my power at work, Jean. It's dangerous. It nearly killed my best friend. I don't think I want to put a bunch of other teenagers in such danger."   
  
"I know about Stacy. The Professor filled us all in, a little. But don't worry about harming anyone. You're here at the Institute to learn how to do just the opposite. Today's demonstration will not cause anyone any damage." Jean replied.   
  
Linda smiled uneasily, a little angry that the Professor had discussed such a personal thing with the rest of the students that lived at the mansion. But something about Jean told her that she wasn't just any average mutant living at the Xavier Institute. There was something about the attractive redheaded girl that made you look twice, something behind the exterior that was interesting and mysterious, drawing you in. Linda shook her head a little and concentrated on the numbers above her head as the elevator slowed and finally came to a stop.   
  
"We're here." Jean announced as the doors whooshed open and they were greeted with a long, silver hallway, which looked like something from a sci-fi movie to Linda.  
  
The girls walked down the hallway, their footsteps silent on the shiny, silvery metallic floor. A door at the other end clicked open as they neared and Jean quickly led the way inside. A bald, intelligent man sitting in a wheelchair was waiting for them at the entrance.   
  
"Hello, Linda. Welcome to the Institute." He said, in a voice that was deep, strong and steady.   
  
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Xavier." Linda said, shaking his offered hand. Immediately it felt like something was tingling at the edges of her mind, just above the surface, but close enough to dive right into her mind and explore her thoughts. She withdrew her hand instantly.  
  
The man smiled apologetically at her. "I am quite sorry about that, Linda. It's a natural reflex when I meet new people. I meant you no harm. And please do call me Professor. Charles Xavier sounds too stuffy," He said and grinned at her. Linda took in his smile and immediately felt at ease, her past anger and doubt fading.   
  
"So we're here to see what I can do, huh?" Linda asked, dreading the answer somewhat. Images of that fateful afternoon were fresh and clear in her mind, of Stacy smashing the window by body impact and then hitting the ground and looking as if she were really dead.   
  
"Yes, we are. I have set up an obstacle course for you to run through. It is set at the easiest level right now but it will go up higher as you will begin to train here. Well, all right then, we can start. But first, have you ever done gymnastics or aerobics before?" The Professor pushed a button on a small panel beside his arm and the wheelchair started slowly forward. Jean and Linda followed, one girl on each side of him.   
  
Linda perked up at the sound of gymnastics and aerobatic activity. "I started doing ballet and gymnastics around the age of six. I'm very limb and flexible and I can do all sorts of things, like cartwheels, cannonballs, back flips, somersaults. I stopped when I was thirteen because school was taking up a lot of time but I haven't forgotten anything. My old instructor always told me that once you become a gymnast, you will always remain a gymnast. She was right."   
  
"That is excellent. You will not have to be trained in that aspect then. It seems like to me, from what you have told us, that you will do fine on the obstacle course, along with your power, of course. Although your power plays a major role in your survival and completion of the training courses here at the Institute, every student at this school is a trained acrobat. Being physically capable to jump and leap and dodge weapons is very important and crucial." Professor Xavier said, smiling at his newest recruit.   
  
The young mutant's face lit up with unsuppressed joy at the Professor's words. Gymnastics had been her world, her entire life, before junior high school and through the beginning of it. And yet, even though she'd stopped at the age of thirteen, in eighth grade, her body was as agile as a cat's. She was graceful, flexible and as deadly as an arrow. Precision had been the key word at her ballet and gymnastics school and Linda had definite precision.   
  
"We're ready, Jean. I'll position Linda inside the course. You go up to the control room and tell Logan that we are almost ready to proceed." Prof. Xavier said and then gently steered Linda by the arm the rest of the way. There was another hallway between the first door and the second, and when they cleared both, they entered a sort of chamber, high ceiling and cavernous. There was a track running around the outer length of the circle that was the chamber.  
  
"This the Institute's Danger Room. All training and exercises are done here, expect for outdoor training, obviously. Now, just right here and focus on the objects that will start appearing when Logan starts the course."   
  
"Who's this Logan?" Linda's green eyes were puzzled as she asked the telepath.   
  
"Logan is a mutant, but genetically created. His codename is Wolverine and he trains most of the X-Men because he is exceptionally fit and trained in combat. You will have you're first training session with him bright and early tomorrow morning at 6 A.M. sharp." The Professor answered her question, his voice smooth and fast paced.   
  
Linda suddenly realized that this Institute, nor this man, were any joke. They were all seemingly serious and focused, even the pretty redheaded girl named Jean. Everything was organized here and Linda guessed that slacking off and not following the rules were a big put-off in this household. She was a New York City girl, a party child. Being born and raised in the big city, Linda hadn't been the type of teenage girl to go to the library, take out books and occasionally go out for lunch with her friends. Nope, definitely not. She had been the type to never be at home, to always have something planned, a movie, dinner, a party... she was only at home to sleep, eat, but that was quite unusual for Linda, and to do schoolwork. School and assignments had never been one of her strong suits but she did her homework and projects to the best of their ability. Not getting higher than average grades hardly bothered her and Linda lived by the rule that average is better than nothing.   
  
She knew, now, that her schoolwork would have to improve while she lived here. There would be no more nights filled with plans and dates and chattering friends. Jean had mentioned, and now even the Professor, that their were training sessions in the morning, some as early as six , like the one she had for tomorrow with the Logan guy. Linda had a feeling that she would be sitting at home most nights, surrounded by books and the other mutant teenagers. Well, it can't be all bad, she thought. You will have permanent roommates right down the hall! Linda had two sisters, but both were away, studying at prestigious universities, hoping one day to have successful careers and big families. One of her sisters wanted to be a pediatrician and the other a scientist in disease research. Linda had known, almost from birth, that she would never measure to up to her older sisters. Her parents had reassured her almost her entire life, pleading with her to pay more attention in school and excel in her studies. Linda simply wasn't interested in what they were offering. She felt that there was something big, waiting out there for her. And at fourteen years old, she discovered it. Linda Goldstein could do something like no one else; she was a mutant.   
  
"Linda, focus on the task, please." The Professor said, but he wasn't standing beside her anymore. Linda glanced around herself in shock, wondering where the bald man had gone. And how she had still heard him. "Behind you," she whipped around and found him sitting in a small alcove next to the exit. He smiled at her and pointed his finger towards the course that was slowly folding out in front of her.   
  
She turned right around and looked up in amazement. There were several bars and small walls set up in the middle of the track, a sort of bridge crossing over a real river, big blocks that shifted around every few seconds and the least expected, most extraordinary thing: three lasers pointing directly at her, ready to shoot.   
  
"This is a simple track, with all the usual obstacles set up. You have to clear this in sixty seconds or less. Good luck," Charles said and sat back to watch.   
  
Linda gritted her teeth and focused all her energy on what was ahead. A buzzer sounded loudly and she was off, letting instinct and years of training in ballet and gymnastics overtake her. She cleared the bars and medium height walls in seconds, leaping high over them in single bounds. The shifting blocks were a little tricker but she managed, somersaulting from one to the other. The bridge was easy and she practically flew over it, not realizing that the intent of the bridge had been to knock her off her balance and throw her in the water below. When she neared the lasers, Linda knew that she would be required to use her power. She squinted her eyes and thought back to the afternoon her best friend had almost died. The air instantly rippled, like an underwater mirage. The lasers were knocked backwards, exploding as they did, putting them out of commission, and Linda ran the rest of the way, until she reached the finish line.   
  
"That was thirty five and a half seconds. Not bad, kid," A gruff, muscular man said, leaning back against the Danger Room wall. "That power of yours is quite strong. Let's see what Chuck's gotta say about my nickname for you,"   
  
"What do you mean, my nickname? My friend's call me Lin, short for Linda. I don't think I need another one." She said, slightly out of breath. She pushed a strand of sweaty hair out of her eyes and gave the man a once-over.   
  
He was handsome, in a rugged sort of way, with big bulging arm and leg muscles and the most profound biceps that Linda had ever seen. His eyes, a dark blue, were animalistic and yet compassionate. He looked as if he worked out heavily everyday and could pack a mighty punch, Linda thought.   
  
"Logan, what was Linda's workout time?" Prof. Xavier rolled his wheelchair over to them and gave the younger mutant a nod. "That was quite an impression you made on me. I've never seen anyone so comfortable with the bars, blocks or walls. And your power ... well it was amazing to watch, I'll say."   
  
"Thirty five and a half seconds, Chuck. Little miss ballerina here knows how to work the blocks and such. She somersaulted right over them." Logan said, looking quite impressed. "But I couldn't figure out her power. It sure did knock the lasers out, but how is the question."   
  
"Linda's power is a large energy field. It triggers when she's angry, or under pressure. Her power is amazing, actually. It's like Jean's power, but Jean controls her telekinesis with her mind. Linda doesn't have to." The Professor said.   
  
"I don't understand, Professor. My power kind of makes the air ripple and shift and sends things flying backward. How is that related to telekinesis? "   
  
"Okay, then, let me explain. You know how telekinesis works, correct?" He paused and Linda nodded that she did. "Well, Jean can control objects and people by using her mind. Your power is almost telekinetic because you send things backward. It's like a mental shove that Jean can give you, but you also can give someone a shove backwards, but your power will cause the air to shift and change. Do you understand me now?"   
  
"Yes, I do. So how can I use my power to help me? What if I need it to defend me? And if I do join you're X-Men team, what good can I do?" Linda asked in a rush, nervous as she waited for a response.   
  
Charles Xavier smiled happily. He hadn't wanted to push Linda and ask her to join the X-Men right away, but after seeing her on the obstacle course just minutes earlier, the way that she had easily moved throughout it and then used her power on the lasers, it was no doubt that he wanted her to become an X-Man.   
  
"We would absolutely love to have you as a member of the team. You're power will grow and expand and I can assure you right now, you won't be a force anyone will want to reckon with. What you have is unique, a mutant power that is very unusual. With that aside, you will need to train to be an X-Man. Combat skills, as well as improving your power, are among the things you will learn. Logan will guide you in your training and when you are ready, you will join the team and their workouts."   
  
"Maybe we should get in a little practice now, Chuck. It wouldn't hurt the kid. Me and the little ballerina here can test this power out, see what she's made off. How about it, Linda?" Logan said, flexing his muscles, a smirk on his face. The smirk hadn't been intentionally mean, Logan just didn't smile at anyone really. "Think you can handle a session with me?"   
  
Linda met his hard, stone-like gaze with her own. Her dazzling green eyes looked mischievous and she could feel the blood pumping in her veins, her muscles tense and ready, itching to let loose. "Sure." she said, grinning. "I'll show you what I'm made off, Logan."   
  
"I think you met your match, Logan. Well, then, I'll leave you to your session. Logan, now, don't overstress Linda. She's going to Bayville High tomorrow, it's her first day and she needs a good night's sleep." Professor Xavier said, winking at Logan. "There is a suit in the control panel that should fit you." he finished and then wheeled his chair away, giving both a smile before he left.   
  
Ten minutes later, both Linda and Logan were suited up. After he'd dressed, Logan had run to the library, where he knew the Professor would be spending his afternoon and the two of them had debated on Linda's codename as an X-Man. Finally, with the Beast and Storm's approval, they had chosen "Ripple" as Linda's codename. It would fit her perfectly, they decided, because of the way her power worked. She caused a ripple effect on the air, like a stone would have on the smooth surface of a lake, and therefore would be called Ripple by her teammates and mentors.   
  
Storm accompanied Wolverine into the Danger Room and was introduced to Linda Goldstein, their newest recruit and already a member of the X-Men.   
  
"Hello, dear, my name is Storm. That is my codename. The real name is Ororo. It's a pleasure to meet you." The beautiful mocha skinned woman said, shaking Linda's hand with a firm grip. "The Professor and all of my the teachers here at the Institute, Logan and myself included, have come up with a codename for you too. A codename is important during battle and practice sessions. We do not let personal relationships, as well as birth names to interfere with our work."   
  
"So what's my codename?" asked Linda, staring at them questioningly. She didn't mind any nicknames, like Logan calling her "ballerina" and she knew she wouldn't be bothered by a formal, official codename. She was going to be an X-Man and if she had to have a codename to become one, then she would do it.   
  
"Linda Goldstein, official codename Ripple. I am Storm and this is Wolverine." Storm said, her voice deep and stern sounding. But then she smiled at Linda warmly and Linda grinned back at her.   
  
"I like it." Linda said, "Well, can we begin the training session then? This suit is too stifling."   
  
"Get used to it, kid. This suit is the only one you've got here." Wolverine said and then turned to Storm, "Go set up a course at the intermediate level. Put in a double of the lasers and robots, too."   
  
Linda listened to him, only half concerned. She would knock out whatever Wolverine and Storm unleashed on her. Their obstacle courses weren't that demanding, yet, but clearly would become harder when training intensified. Storm quickly went up to the control panel, made some adjustments and then the course was ready. Linda watched, excitement and slight trepidation filling her stomach as the course unraveled.  
  
Wolverine hunched down beside her and Linda tensed, prepared. Storm flew down to them and got into position next to the two other mutants. The buzzer rang and the three of them sprang into action. This time, the lasers were being shot at them from moving, mechanical robots. The ground shifted and buckled underneath them, as if they were in an earthquake. Suddenly the metal railing that Linda stood on rose higher into the air, and she saw water churning below her.   
  
Linda gasped, teetering on the edge of the railing that had risen ten feet above the ground. She was a good swimmer, because both her older sisters had been on swim teams and she had learned from them, but the water had come out of nowhere, startling her. Wolverine and Storm were still running, dodging the shooting red lasers and had not obviously noticed that she wasn't behind them. Linda was just about to call out their names when the metal she stood on wobbled dangerously, and sent her plunging right of the edge and into the crystal blue water below. She screamed but with the water making too much noise and the distance that had separated her from the other two mutants, Wolverine and Storm couldn't hear. But apparently, Wolverine had smelled her panic.   
  
He spun around, his metal claws ready to slash anything in his way, and locked his eyes with hers, before the water closed over her head. Linda instinctively tried to push herself back up to the surface but the waves crashing on top prevented her from doing just that. The deep breath of air that she gulped down was quickly running out and she could feel herself becoming dizzy at the lack of oxygen underwater. Suddenly rough, firm, hands grabbed her and hoisted her out of the water. She started coughing immediately, trying to clear the water from her oxygen deprived lungs.   
  
"You alright, ballerina? You got Storm and I scared there for a minute. You know how to swim, kid?" Logan said, holding her light frame in his hands protectively as he began running. The raised metal railing had lowered and thankfully, the deep pool of water had disappeared and the cold, soothing floor had returned, looking sturdy and safe to Linda. But she knew now to not trust it completely, it was her friend as well as her enemy.   
  
"Yeah, I know how to swim. Been swimming almost all of my life, Logan..uh, Wolverine."   
  
"So, what can't you do?" Wolverine asked, looking down at her with what appeared to be newborn parental affection. "You're a pretty talented kid, you know that? You're parents know how good they got it or no?"   
  
Linda's eyes suddenly blurred and it wasn't from the watery grave that she had just escaped, thanks to Wolverine. It was because she hurt for her parents and missed them, especially her mother, who had nurtured and taught her daughter many valuable things about the world. But then, Marie and Alexander Goldstein had found out their daughter's true nature, discovered that she was very different from their other daughters. Their youngest, Linda, was a mutant. Her parents hadn't wanted to accept it and thought of Linda's powers as a burden rather than a gift. Then, Marie had found about the Xavier Institute in Bayville, and with her husband, prompted Linda to go there. They thought the Institute's concept was to relieve children of their powers and help them lead normal lives again. But, Linda knew, from reading the small letter of information that Professor Xavier had sent her parents, the Institute instead taught young mutants to master their powers and use them for good.   
  
"My parents resented me because I was a mutant. When they found out, they kind of freaked. My mother wouldn't look me in the face for a few weeks and my father outright ignored me. I cried a lot about it, so much that I lost my focus completely at school. I wasn't that great of a student before, but I was doing satisfactory work and then all of it just went down the drain... until I came here, I was kind of reminded that being a mutant was not bad..." she was just about to continue when the ground rumbled ominously and the ground began shifting again.   
  
"We'll finish this talk later kid. Just tell me if you know how to swim 'cause there are some rough waters up ahead." Wolverine said, bending at the knees and bounding over a gap that divided a small section of the ground. It was black as night inside the gap and Linda felt slightly nauseous as Wolverine lunged again, this time bounding over a small block that stood in the way.   
  
"I know how to swim. Now let me go please, I want to try to this by myself." Linda said, nodding at Wolverine to show him that she was ready. He looked hesitant but he dropped her safely to the ground and grabbed her hand.   
  
"I know you can, kid. But there are going to be big rolling balls behind us in a minute and I don't want you getting squashed on the first day here."   
  
Linda's eyes widened and she grasped his hand tightly, beginning to run with him. His legs were much longer and stronger than hers, as well as his stamina, but she kept up to him fairly well. "I think I can deflect them with my power. Hold on."   
  
Wolverine grunted, wondering why this tiny little creature wanted to risk her life this way. From experience, though, he knew the thrill of using a power. You could do something no one else could and it was pretty much an energy rush for him when he let his claws out and slid on his Wolverine mask on. It was like the animal within him was released. "Go for it, Ripple. I'll be here for back-up, if you need me."   
  
Ripple nodded, an adrenaline rush pumping through her veins. She had just been called by her codename, the first time and certainly not the last, and was about to do some damage to the obstacle course with her power. It was pretty exciting.   
  
"Here they come!" Storm and Wolverine shouted together and Ripple quickly turned to see three huge black balls, looking about as solid as steel, coming at them.   
  
Ripple raised her hands and stared determinedly at the massive balls of destruction. Images flashed by in her head, of Sarah, thrown by the power Linda hadn't known she'd possessed. A large sheet of rippling energy shot out of her hands. Linda smiled in awe. Her power was the size of a large house wall, crackling and popping with energy. She could see little thunder bolts exploding inside. It rippled there, in the air, until Linda unconsciously pushed her hands outward and sent the energy mass flying toward the balls. The black, deadly looking balls stopped immediately in their tracks and were shoved backwards by an invisible force. Linda concentrated harder, picturing the way she had exploded the lasers into tiny little bits, putting it out of commission. As soon as she thought that, there was a huge explosion, which was then followed by another. Her energy wall was gone and in place was a cloud of sulfurous vapor and the remains of the black balls.   
  
Wolverine glanced in Ripple's direction, where she stood, eyes squinted, looking at what she had just done. What she had done was no small feat. A petite, five feet five inches tall teenage girl had just blown up two massive, destructive balls that were made of steel. And she had accomplished with a flick of her tiny, perfectly manicured hands. Wolverine glanced up at Storm, who hovered above him. She was also surveying the damage done by Ripple. Wolverine could taste the foul odor of sulfur and burned steel on his mouth, his sensitive nose begging for fresh air.   
  
"She's quite amazing, Wolverine. That power of hers is extremely dangerous and yet highly valuable for defense and protection. I can see why Charles would want her on the team," Storm said, looking down at him. She couldn't read the expression on his face.   
  
"That she is, Storm. Amazing. It feels like standing in the way of perfection. Perfection that comes in a fifteen year old package." Wolverine murmured, so quietly Storm wasn't sure she heard right. He gave her one of his trademark smirks and then bounded over to Ripple.   
  
"Hi," she said, turning to him with the widest grin on her face. "Are we all done with the obstacle course? It stopped when those two balls exploded but I thought there was more..."   
  
"Yup, course ain't finished yet. We still got a few more minutes here, Ripple. Let's go, then, back on the track." He said, adjusting his mask and staring at her pointedly, waiting for her to move ahead. She only gave him a look instead. He sighed. "Alright, ballerina. That was pretty impressive, what you did. You're power lay dormant for an entire year, after that incident with that girl, and now it seems like it's growing."   
  
Linda frowned, puzzled. Was her power really growing, expanding into something even more powerful? Or had it grown in secrecy, when Linda hadn't known to call upon it and use it. Had it grown stronger when she hadn't suspected, wasn't even aware of it? Was that even possible? "Could that really be, Wolverine? Was my power able to expand when I wasn't using it?  
  
"The best person to ask is the Professor. And I ain't him. So start running again, kid. This training session hasn't finished." Wolverine said, nudging her shoulder as he turned around to go back to Storm.   
  
Linda sighed dejectedly and picked up her pace. The ground began rumbling again, loud groans that sent little shivers of nervousness into her veins. She tried to block out the noise and stared straight ahead, watching for anything dangerous in her path. A large block stood about ten or so feet away and Ripple smoothly flipped over it, enjoying the thrill of flying and twisting her body. She caught a glimpse of Wolverine running steadily behind her and Storm's eyes flash an unnatural white as she encountered something in her path.   
  
Then something flared at the end of the track, a bright orange flame, and her heart almost stopped. The single flame soon turned into a huge inferno and her eyes widened, heart pounding in fright. She turned back to see if the adults had seen the raging fire when she noticed that Storm was flying fast towards her, her arms outstretched, eyes glowing in that same white color. It began to rain, hard pounding rain that soon had all of them soaked to the bone, but not burned by the fire. Storm smiled down at Ripple and gestured to the last, few remaining flames that were still weakly burning. Ripple knew instantly what she wanted her to do. She raised her hands, gritting her teeth in determination and shot a wall of energy toward the flames. They stopped flickering for a moment and then exploded, becoming trails of smoke, like snakes, dancing up from their remains.   
  
Wolverine and Storm both gave her a thumbs-up sign and Linda looked back at them, knowing that she would be comfortable and fine at the Institute. She fit in, simple as that.  
~~~ 


	2. Awakening: Earthquake Strikes

Title: Awakening, part 2  
  
Author: IceAngel8  
  
Disclaimer: No characters here are in my possession, except for Linda.   
  
Author's Notes: This is AU and if you don't like how I deal with things, don't read the fic. I do not write Rogue's words as if she has really speaking it, because I do not have time to add her southern accent to her sentences. I am not trying to make her sound any different, though. Everything she says always sounds southern to me, in my head and in my writing. I hope it is the same for you ;) I also deal with Rogue's power in my own way and if you don't like it... leave it.   
  
Feedback: I would really love it, as much as I love chocolate fudge ice-cream! tee hee  
  
*This part is longer than the first part, so read it and enjoy. The next part should be out by Tuesday night, or earlier!*  
  
Part 2   
  
Linda walked down a long corridor on the second floor, going to her new bedroom. She had just finished dinner with all the other teenage mutants and had met another teacher and mentor, Hank, codename Beast. He was a chemistry teacher in the high school and Linda wished she would get into his class. He seemed like the type of teacher to give interesting, insightful and yet educational lectures, and was very friendly with children.   
  
There had been Scott, Kurt, Kitty, Rogue, Spike and Jean, the pretty redhead she had met earlier. There were more children but Linda didn't remember any of their names, but they all had been nice and supportive of her moving into the Institute in the middle of the school year. Scott, the leader of the X-Men, had impressed her with his handsome face and his shy, yet comfortable smile. She felt an instant connection with Scott and had spent the entire evening chattering away with him, realizing that they both had much in common. Jean had sat across from them and Linda hadn't missed the hurt expression on her face when Scott had completely turned his attention away from her, instead choosing to talk with the new girl.   
  
Jean had looked a little stunned and Linda had immediately figured out that she was the popular girl of the school, always going out with the hottest guys, going to the top parties and dressing in trendy, designer label clothes. Jean probably never had any competition from a girl before and now that Linda had arrived, it seemed like Jean would have to work on her flirting skills a little more. Linda smiled to herself; Scott was certainly a nice catch. How come Jean hadn't dated him? Katherine, whom everyone called Kitty for short, had told her that Jean and Scott were like sister and brother, but that at one point a romantic relationship had seemed to be in the future for them. Kitty didn't provide any further information as to why that romance had never occurred and Linda hadn't pried.   
  
Linda yawned, tired from all the day's activities, especially her Danger Room workout. She just wanted a hot bubble bath, some hot chocolate and a nice warm bed. Tomorrow she would get a ride to her new high school with Scott and afterwards, a personal tour of Bayville High with him. She hoped Jean wouldn't be riding in the car too, because then she would really ruin things between Scott and her. As much as Linda liked Jean and wanted to build a friendship with her, she liked Scott far more. The young mutant turned the corner, only to bump into Kitty, who had run right through a wall at top speed.   
  
"Oh, hey, sorry about that. Didn't mean to bump into you, really, I wasn't watching where I was going." Kitty mumbled, giving Linda a cute lopsided smile. "So, uh, how do you like it here?"   
  
"The town is a little boring but this place is looking up. The Danger Room is all high-tech and the bedrooms are so grand hotel pent suite, you know?" Linda said, sounding very much like the city girl she had been and would always be.   
  
"I can show you around if you like. There's a great mall here; it's got everything! Sears, Macy's and a bunch of other stores. And they got the best Italian food there! It's like, delicious, way better than any other." Kitty said.  
  
"Well, I like Macy's. It's got all the designer brands. Anyway, are there like shoe stores? A CD store?" Linda asked, as they began to walk down the hallway.   
  
Kitty clapped her hands, giddy with excitement. "I told you, it has everything! A movie theater, a large gym complex, including two pools and exercise rooms, dozens of stores, restaurant, fast food places and these little ice cream, pretzel and cookie booths. If I don't have homework, then I'm usually hanging out over there. There are really no amazing clubs here in Bayville and I'm not even legal age to get into one."   
  
Linda felt even more tired at seeing Kitty so energetic and perky. But the mall sounded pretty cool, like the malls had been back home in New York City. She felt a pang of longing at the thought of her old hometown and the many places that Sarah and she had went. Every weekend there was something exciting going on. One afternoon they had visited the Museum of Natural History and gotten lost, wandering around an area that was hardly crowded, a few people here and there that they had glimpsed in staircases or staring intently at magnificent paintings. Sarah and her had wandered around for what seemed like hours, but was only about forty or so minutes. Linda remembered Sarah's slight panic when she had joked that they would be spending the night, there in the museum, along with all the mummies and skulls in the Egyptian exhibit. When they had gotten out, following a group of chattering tourists, and into the bright sunshine, the girls couldn't stop laughing about their experience. Linda missed that, being with her best friend, doing ordinary, fun things, creating memories. But she could always create new memories, with mutants like herself, couldn't she?   
  
"So, we'll go after school on Friday, okay? We'll need to ask the Professor first, see if he has anything planned for us, but I don't really think he does. And if he lets, we could ask Scott to drop us off at the mall or get Kurt to teleport us there. You saw Kurt, the blue furry guy, at dinner, didn't you?" Kitty asked, her brown ponytail swished in time to her step.   
  
Linda nodded, smiling, her thoughts only of Scott Summers. He was absolutely handsome, she thought, picturing that casual mop of auburn hair, the carefree easy smile and the way he seemed to be staring straight into her soul behind though ruby colored glasses. She knew why he wore them and that if he didn't, that soulful, intelligent gaze would have killed her, instead of making her appreciate and like him more.   
  
A pale, sullen looking girl closed the door to her bedroom and turned in their direction, heading for the library. Linda smiled at Rogue, who she remembered from dinner. Linda had commented on Rogue's southern drawl, which the other mutant hadn't liked, because she'd thought that Linda had been mocking her.   
  
"Hey, Kitty... uh, Linda?" Rogue said to them when they approached. "You girls going to sleep or something?" she asked, rubbing a gloveless hand over her arm in thought. "I'm going to the library, I need a book for my history class. The assignment that leech gave us is a killer."   
  
"Hey, Kitty just told me about this cool mall you got here. We're going Friday, if the Xavier guy gives us permission. You wanna come with us?" Linda asked the southern girl, hoping she would take the invitation and join them. She really liked Rogue, who in a way reminded her of Sarah, who had also dressed up in punk/gothic clothes, going for the original, authentic appearance.   
  
Rogue was just about to answer back and tell them she would go along, when the ground shook violently, groaning loudly, and sent fear racing through her heart. She knew immediately that it wasn't the fake ground shaking that the Danger Room had, because everything that happened in the Danger Room, stayed there. It had been designed specifically for that; for students to be trained there and for the room to contain all their powers and not let them damage the house.   
  
"What's happening?" Kitty yelled as she held on tightly to Linda. They both were pale and frightened and Linda looked a little bit green, feeling nauseous from the shaking of the ground and her earlier session with Wolverine and Storm.   
  
"I got no clue. It might be Lance and the Brotherhood boys playing pranks-" Rogue's voice was abruptly cut off as the ground rolled, sending her straight into Kitty and Linda. Her bare hand scrambled for purchase, before she could hit the ground and got herself a bloody nose or maybe a concussion, and touched something smooth and soft. With a sickening feeling, Rogue realized that she had just knocked Linda unconscious by making skin-to-skin contact.   
  
Images filled her head, of a training session in the Danger Room with Wolverine and Storm, a picture of Scott and a little fondness that came with it, a strong pang for New York City and her best friend, Sarah. Then there was one solid image, of that girl Sarah, smashing through a window, knocked through it by some invisible force and headed directly for the ground, where she landed with a deadly thud. Rogue screamed, clutching at her head, willing to erase the picture from her mind. But she still saw it, saw Sarah lying motionlessly on the ground, as if dead... and maybe she was dead, Rogue simply didn't know.   
  
"Rogue, Rogue, what's wrong?" came Kitty's voice through the thick cloud that seemed to be surrounding Rogue. "Listen to me... I saw it happen. Linda's out cold but I think she'll be okay. And you better move closer, there might be more tremors."  
  
Rogue nodded and glanced towards Linda's, who was now a part of her, as everyone that Rogue had touched ever since she had come into her power. Suddenly, she realized, that Linda hadn't been mocking her southern accent and that she genuinely wanted to be friends with her and Kitty. Rogue noted that Linda felt attracted to Scott, like she had at one point, and smiled. This girl was better than she had thought.   
  
"What did you see?" Kitty asked, curiously as they sat huddled by the wall, Linda safely cradled between them.   
  
"It's all kind of confusing, you know. Just a blur of memories and feelings, and her mutant power. It's really strong..." Rogue said, not wanting to tell Kitty much about what Linda thought. They were Linda's private thoughts and although she had shared them with Rogue, not consciously of course, Rogue wouldn't be telling anyone what she saw and felt. It was too personal and she would want the same kind of respect, too.   
  
"I would test it out if I were you, Rogue. I mean, you probably won't get into any trouble either, everything's a mess because of this unexpected earthquake." Kitty said nonchalantly.   
  
"I can't do that, Kitty. Are you using you're head here or not?" Rogue said snappishly, narrowing her eyes in frustration. "I don't even know what her damn power is first of all! All I feel is that she's very powerful, like Scott and Jean."   
  
"This is once in a lifetime opportunity, Rogue! I know she's my friend and all but you've got to do this! I mean, doesn't it hurt you to sometimes see us using our powers and know you can't use yours unless you want to do us damage? Look, Linda is unconscious already. You can't wake her up. You might as well go for it."   
  
Rogue's heart thumped nervously as she contemplated Kitty's words, knowing that the brown haired mutant was right in some ways. Linda was already unconscious and Rogue had her powers and memories, for at least another five minutes or so. And somewhere in Rogue's mind, she knew that she wanted to use Linda's powers, because as Kitty had said, it hurt her to see the other mutants doing something she could definitely not do. Well, she could, but it would mean doing damage to a fellow mutant, a fellow roommate at the Xavier Institute. The man in the wheelchair, wiser than any person Rogue had ever known, had taught Rogue on her first day, to never deliberately hurt another mutant if they haven't hurt you. But that rule only applied to good mutants who didn't abuse their powers, like Magneto, Mystique, among others.   
  
"So are you doing it?" Kitty asked, looking at Rogue and then down at Linda. "She might awaken soon and you won't get another chance."   
  
Rogue nodded her head, willing herself to not feel guilty. She smiled at Kitty, "Yes, I am going to do it. Let's see what her power is." Rogue held out her hands and concentrated, dwelling deeper into Linda's presence inside her body. Images and memories, thoughts and smiles, laughter and tears flashed by in a blur, until Rogue felt the undeniable tug of another mutant's power. Her hand shot out immediately and a wall of energy spread out from her hands. It was crackling, bursting with energy and little thunderbolts inside. Kitty and she stared at it amazingly. It was like nothing they had ever seen.   
  
"What does it do?" Kitty asked, still intently gazing at the large energy field that blocked the other half of the hallway. "It's huge."   
  
"Very powerful, too." Rogue said and casually flicked her hands outward. The wall of energy pushed itself backwards and trapped the small table the held the phone within it. "Oops, let me try to get the phone out of the way." she said, concentrating a little more harder, expecting the energy field to move further down the hall. The table blew up instead, taking the phone, stacks of post-it notes and pens and pencils with it. Kitty and Rogue yelled, ducking to avoid being hit by debris. A leg of the table, it's end razor sharp, whizzed past Rogue's head and she stared wide-eyed at it.   
  
"That's it; no more." Rogue yelled, closing her eyes in fright, frustration and yet awe that Linda possessed such a incredible power. When she opened them, no traces of Linda's power, except for the destruction of the table and phone, remained. The huge field of energy had disappeared and Rogue could finally see the rest of the corridor clearly, when before it had looked like an underwater palace through Linda's power.   
  
"That girl is powerful. Maybe more than she can handle." Rogue said, bonelessly sliding to the floor. She was exhausted all of a sudden, feeling drained of energy. "I can't handle her mutant abilities either, Kitty. It's too strong, for both of us. I think... I think you should get the professor." Rogue managed to mumbled, hoping desperately that Kitty had understood her, before Rogue succumbed to unconsciousness.   
  
"Rogue!" Kitty yelled, scared now that she was by herself. The ground shook every ten or twenty seconds, making the hallway more dangerous for them to remain in. But how could she drag two unconscious girls out of here by herself? Suddenly Kurt's face popped into her head and Kitty called out his name, "Kurt! I need you here, Kurt! I'm near my bedroom, in the west wing hallway!"   
  
Instantly Kurt appeared, with his trademark trail of pungent smoke. Kitty smiled at him in relief, happy beyond words to see him there.   
  
"Kurt, Rogue touched Linda and she absorbed her memories and mutant power. Rogue said she was too strong for her to handle and now they're both knocked out cold. And the earthquake is making this hallway even more deadly to stay in. Help me, please. We need to get out of here."   
  
Kurt nodded, glancing over where Rogue and Linda lay, both seemingly asleep. But he knew that the longer Linda stayed unconscious, her memories and mutant power trapped in Rogue's body, the less chances she had of surviving. Rogue was unconscious too but she wouldn't be the one harmed in the end. It was Linda they had to worry about, as well as awakening Rogue so that the process of returning Linda's power to it's rightful owner could be completed.   
  
"All the X-Men are gathering in the Danger Room. Wolverine and Beast are scouring the mansion for anyone injured or who can't get through debris. The Professor heard you calling me. Now I have to teleport you down there and go help Ororo. She was out by the pool with a few kids when the earthquake struck." Kurt said and Kitty nodded, trying to not let her fright overwhelm her.   
  
Kurt and her quickly went over to the girls and linked hands. Kurt smiled at her reassuringly before they all disappeared in his teleporting smoke. Kitty felt a little woozy as they whooshed through time and space, where she had no body, no structure, only her mind and soul. Moments later, the four of them landed in the Danger Room, right on the training grounds where several other mutants, including Professor Xavier, were already milling around. Amara, codename Magma, looked frightened out of her mind, her naturally mocha colored skin pale.   
  
The Professor immediately rolled his wheelchair over to where Kitty kneeled beside Rogue and Linda. He had on a pair of gloves and took out another, heavier pair of black, leather gloves out for Rogue. He slid them onto her bare hands and patted her gently on the shoulder. Rogue didn't stir and remained motionless on the ground. Linda, too, lay still beside her. The Professor looked at them both worriedly.   
  
"Kitty, tell me what happened." He said, staring at the pretty teenager with expectance in his blue eyes.   
  
She nodded, "Well, the earthquake struck unexpectedly and Linda, Rogue and I were talking in the hallway when it happened. None of us were prepared. The ground underneath Rogue rolled and she smashed right into us and accidently grabbed Linda's hand. It was an honest accident. Rogue did not mean to hurt Linda, I'm pretty sure. She probably just grabbed onto something out of habit, to not get hurt by the fall."   
  
"You're right, Kitty. Rogue is well aware of the damage her power can inflict on another mutant and she knows she must only use it in dire emergencies. Although Rogue didn't mean for Linda to become her victim, she did and now they are both unconscious. Did Rogue say anything, well, before she passed out, perhaps?"   
  
Kitty nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, Professor, in fact she did! Rogue said the power was too strong for her to handle. She said it felt like Jean and Scott's powers, strong and deadly and out of control, but not as much as Jean and Scott of course. They've got control over their mutant powers. What I don't understand is how Linda's power can be so pronounced when she came to the Institute with absolutely no knowledge of how to use that power. I mean, that is what she came for isn't it?"   
  
"You are all here to master you're powers. No one will ever have perfect control over them, either. Onto the other matter, then. I believe Rogue took quite more than usual when she made skin-to-skin contact with Linda. Also, Linda was not aware of Rogue's powers and she did have not any mental resistance against Rogue when they touched. You, as well as the rest of the children here, understand about Rogue's abilities and you all have rather some resistance against her mutant power. It is in your subconscious, Kitty, and you do not realize it until the event has actually happened." The Professor said and Kitty understood him, nodding her head to show him she did.   
  
"But this can be fixed, can't it?" she asked, biting her lip in frustration as she glanced at the two girls lying on the cold, metal ground of the Danger Room.   
  
"I will do everything I can, Kitty, to have them back to normal. But it might take awhile. I'll speak to Rogue, mentally, try to awaken her and then the process will begin for Linda's memories and power to be returned to her. But first, please do retrieve some blankets for the girls. The ground is too cold to be lying upon. They're over in the storage bin by the elevators. See if you can get someone to help you, perhaps Kurt; I don't want anyone else getting separated from the group."   
  
Kitty sighed, her mouth set in a firm line, but she turned around and headed for the storage bin. Hank had arrived with another small group of students, who all thankfully looked unharmed and was helping them onto available chairs, or the ground to sit on. Neither Jean, Scott, Kurt or Spike were with Hank's group, though, and Kitty began to worry. There had been several students who had gone out for a swim after dinner, claiming they needed to work off the many calories they had just digested, and that Ororo had gone along with them outside, acting as their chaperone for the evening. Kitty vaguely remembered Jean joining the small number of students in the pool and that Scott had trailed out afterwards, perhaps not to swim but to watch the girl he secretly adored from afar. Ororo and they had all been outside, completely vulnerable, especially in the pool, against the earthquake. Kitty's stomach tightened and she felt nauseous.   
  
"Breathe," she told herself, trying to calm down her frazzled nerves. "They'll be here soon. It's nothing to worry about," she continued, walking around in semi-circles until the knot in her stomach lessened. She quickly dashed over to the storage bin, that was three times her sizes and bulky, because of all the essential things the Professor and other teachers at the Institute had stored inside. There were blankets and several clothing items, flash-lights, notebooks, writing tools like pens and pencils, and a whole bunch of other stuff. Beside the bin stood a mini refrigerator, where they stored canned and packaged food.   
  
Kitty quickly grabbed three thick blue blankets, a mini-size package of chocolate chip cookies and a bottle of Poland Spring Water. She didn't know how long they would have to remain in here and her stomach was already growling, although it had only been about a half hour since dinner. The Professor was waiting patiently for her when she brought him the blankets.   
  
"Sorry I took so long, Professor. I just got kind of distracted about something." she said, offering him a tiny smile. He smiled back at her.   
  
"It's all right. Well, settle down then, we'll begin with the girls. I told Hank to keep the rest of the kids entertained while I do the procedure, so there won't be any hasty interruptions."   
  
Kitty spread her blanket out onto the floor and sprawled on it, opening her water bottle and taking a sip. The water was cool and refreshing, soothing her parched throat. She tore open the package of cookies and popped one into her mouth, savory the chocolate goodness of the cookies. Charles gave her another smile and then focused on Rogue and Linda. He touched his temples, eyes closed in concentration, reaching out towards Rogue's mind.   
  
// Speak to me, Rogue. This is Charles Xavier and I need you to answer me. You have to awaken, child, for you're sake and Linda's. She cannot be restored to her old self if you keep her trapped in you're mind and body, Rogue. Please, listen to me. Try to answer me back. Rogue. //   
  
// Professor? Is that you? There's so much confusion in my head. I'm mistaking her thoughts for mine and her power seems to be draining my energy. That's why I can't wake up. Every time I try to open my eyes, I can't, it feels like someone's covering them with their hand. You have to help me, Professor. I can't handle all her thoughts and her power by myself. Please help me. I'm stuck here. //   
  
// All right, Rogue. I will lessen you're burden. Try to relax, don't think about me, or Linda, or anything to do with mutants and powers. Just think about a happy memory. Concentrate. It will hurt, but only a little. Do you hear me, Rogue? //   
  
// I hear you. //   
  
// All right then. Conjure up a memory of yourself being happy and excited. Don't think about anything else. It will take a few seconds, at least. //   
  
The Professor focused on the swirling images and thoughts inside Rogue's mind. He couldn't really decipher anything he saw, but from what he did, he knew that Rogue was under a lot of pressure. She had obviously held the touch longer than a second, because her thoughts were mingling with Linda's and making it all a big unexplainable blur. The Professor gently tried to still Linda's presence in Rogue, slowly but surely separating the two girls' thoughts and memories. Kitty saw Rogue stir on the blanket, her fingers twitching and eyelashes fluttering a little. She sat up straighter and watched Linda and Rogue intently.   
  
Rogue felt like she had a migraine in her left temple. There was a horrible pounding in her head, making it unbearable to concentrate on anything else. She groaned, her hands instinctively covering her eyes from the overhead Danger Room lights. When she opened them cautiously she saw the Professor and Kitty staring at her with concern.   
  
"Did you do that? I feel like my head's gonna burst," Rogue grumbled, wincing as the pounding continued. Her eyes hurt from the lights and her mouth felt dry, parched. "Give me your water bottle, Kitty. I need a drink, badly." Kitty handed her the water and Rogue immediately gulped it down, feeling better at once as the refreshing cold water rushed down her throat.   
  
Rogue suddenly sent the water bottle flying, spraying it's contents, as she keeled over in pain, clutching her head. The Professor instantly bent down towards her, holding her against him. He seemed to know what was happening, while Kitty was wide-eyed with worry and fear. "It's all right, Rogue. Let it leave you. You'll feel much, much better. Come on now, I think Linda's stirring. Just relax; don't fight it."   
  
Rogue cried out in pain. "It hurts... too much... Professor...make her leave, please make her leave." she cried out, eyes closed against the tide of pain she fought. Suddenly Rogue went slack in Charles' arms and he worriedly gazed down at her.   
  
"Rogue? Rogue?" He asked but the teenager didn't respond. "She's fallen unconscious. Kitty, check on Linda. If she isn't waking up, we'll have to get them into the lab."   
  
Kitty kneeled beside Linda on her knees, her lips tightened together in frustration and anxiety. Would Linda die, on her first day at the Xavier Institute? No, Kitty told herself, erasing the thought from her head. She shook Linda's shoulder, got no response and tried again, this time shaking her a bit more forcefully. Like a miracle, Linda stirred, her breath quickening. Kitty felt a surge of hope and shook her again, saying as she did so, "Come on Linda! Please wake up, just please wake up!   
  
The other mutant girl's eyelids fluttered and then finally opened, revealing her mysterious green eyes. Linda groaned, as if just awoken from a deep sleep. She stared at Kitty in confusion, her eyes a little bit hazy from the affect of Rogue's power. "What's going on? I can't remember anything."   
  
"Don't worry, you're fine. The Professor's here. You just had a small accident but you're fine. The Professor will explain things a little better okay? He's with Rogue right now but he should be done when she regains consciousness." Kitty said, smiling down at the beautiful mutant. Even in her traumatized state, Linda's tired green eyes shone, little flecks of gold in them. Her dark brown, almost black, hair complimented her naturally tanned complexion, and her smile brightened up her entire face. Kitty felt a little envious. There was only one other mutant in the Institute that was as beautiful and alluring as Linda. Jean. With her red hair, compelling green eyes and pale, rosy skin, she stood out in a crowd.   
  
"What kind of accident? And why is Rogue unconscious? Was she with me when it... whatever it is... happened?" asked Linda, closing her eyes for a brief second and then opening them. Kitty was suddenly aware that Linda hadn't regained all of her power back from Rogue and that she was still experiencing an outer body feeling that always came with Rogue's touch.   
  
Kitty sat still for a moment, contemplating the thought. Was Linda strong enough to withstand Rogue's touch? How was she able to be awake while Rogue still possessed some part, even small, of her? Kitty turned to the Professor, who had gently set Rogue back down onto her blanket. He was watching her intently, his blue eyes focused and determined. Rogue lay as still as death.   
  
"Rogue's mutant power is to steal human's memories with her touch. She can also steal mutant's memories and they're powers if she touches them, too. That is why she must always cover her skin. Anyway, there was an earthquake and Rogue stumbled into us. She accidently grabbed you're hand and you blacked out, as everyone who Rogue touches, does. Rogue also fell unconscious, saying that you're power was beyond what she could handle. Kurt Wagner, another mutant student here at the Institute, teleported us here. Right now, the Professor is trying to wake Rogue up. She needs to be awake for you're full memory and mutant power to be returned, or otherwise, both of you can die. What I don't understand is how you awoke so quickly while she is still in an unconscious state."   
  
Linda nodded and smiled weakly at Kitty. There was a persistent pain in her head, not extreme but enough to ensure her that she was in pain. She also couldn't remember much, of anything, because things seemed to be blurs in her head... images seemed to slowly drift by and thoughts and memories were all a big jumble. Linda shifted slightly, trying to get comfortable on the hard cold floor when suddenly she noticed a sort of emptiness inside herself. She shivered, both from the cold and void she could feel clearly now, inside her skin. It was as if something were missing, a piece of a puzzle that needed to be completed. Linda's whimpered, feeling on the verge of tears.   
  
"What has she done to me? I feel empty inside." Linda cried out, gripping the blankets with clenched fists. "What has she done to me?" She yelled, rising from her lying down position. She stared accusingly at Kitty and the Professor. He immediately rolled his wheelchair over to them and gently pushed Kitty aside. The brown haired girl understand and stepped behind the protection of his wheelchair.   
  
"Linda, it was all an accident. Rogue did not intend to hurt anyone here! She knows that perfectly well, it was the reason she came here, to learn how to accept, live with and learn about the power she holds inside. When the earthquake struck, she was pushed and grabbed you're hand, to make sure she wouldn't get hurt in the fault. Yes, Rogue should have been wearing her gloves at all times, but we really cannot blame her for removing them at night. None of us knew this earthquake would strike, as normally there are no earthquakes in New York State, except for Avalanche's power." The Professor paused, waiting for the information to sink into Linda's head, and then continued. "You feel a missing part of yourself because that missing part is you're mutant power and you're memories. When Rogue awakens, they will be returned to you. I pray that you do not feel any hostility towards Rogue, for she had no control over any of this."   
  
  
  
The angry words that Linda had wanted to shout seemed to die in her throat when the Professor finished telling her of what had occurred. Instead she felt pity and sorrow toward Rogue, whose power forbade her to ever touch another person, human or mutant. Linda knew that if she had Rogue's power, she wouldn't want to live and that life without any contact would appear useless and saddening. Linda respected Rogue now, of being brave, courageous and keeping her chin up throughout everything she had already faced and would face in the future.   
  
"Will it always be like this for her?" Linda asked softly, laying back down again as a wave of exhaustion passed over her. The emptiness in her soul still felt foreign and completely wrong, but Linda didn't recoil from it. She knew now that some small fraction of her being resided in Rogue temporarily and that eventually it would be returned to her.   
  
"I'm afraid so. Unless Hank or I create some sort of device for Rogue to wear that will enable her touch another person again. Every mutant's power reveals itself when they hit puberty and when Rogue was in the early stages of becoming a teenager and going through the bodily functions of puberty, her power was activated. Ever since then, she has been covering her hands to protect humans and mutants alike. No one is invulnerable to her touch."   
  
Linda nodded, chilled to the bone at the reality of Rogue's power and what came with it. She felt a deep sadness well up inside of her but pushed it aside, knowing that Rogue wouldn't want pity. She squeezed her eyes shut, from the pain in her head, and tired to drown out the sounds of the Danger Room.   
  
"Can I go to sleep? My head hurts, a lot... and I feel too tired to sit up." Linda said, her words coming out slowly, as if she were speaking underwater.  
  
"Yes, you may sleep, but do not fall into a deep, slumberous sleep. You'll need to awaken at once if Rogue wakes up before you. The exchange can only happen if you both are conscious." The Professor said and Linda nodded lightly, before she went slack, going to sleep instantly.   
  
"Professor, how come she awoke while Rogue had her power? Shouldn't she have been like out cold?" Kitty asked, sitting down beside the sleeping girl and looking up at her mentor with curious eyes.   
  
"It is quite extraordinary indeed, Kitty. I think perhaps because Linda's mutation made her power stronger and that perhaps she did have resistance against Rogue. Neither girl knows it though."   
  
"Oh," was the startled girl's answer.   
  
"Well, Kitty, these two seem to be in stable condition. I'm going to go around and check up on the other students, see if Ororo's group has been brought in yet. You contact me, telepathically, if the slightest thing happens. All right then. Good luck,"   
  
~~~ 


	3. Awakening: A Touch Of The Unexpected

Title: Awakening, part 3  
  
Author: IceAngel8  
  
Disclaimer: None of the X-Men characters belong to me. Linda Goldstein, aka Ripple, is my property though, so no stealing! I'll hunt you down if you do!  
  
Feedback: Let's see... I would definitely love to see what you thought. I write for myself, and work very hard on it, and then when my work is presented to an audience, I expect some sort of opinion about my writing! Please, feedback me! (I sound pathetic... *cringe*)   
  
Author's Notes: Hi! This is the third installation in Awakening! Another chapter, maybe even two, will be out by Saturday night! Yay!   
  
Enjoy the story. I worked hard on it! Please feedback me! All comments are welcomed.   
  
Awakening: A Touch of the Unexpected  
  
Rogue felt like her eyelids had been glued shut and that, as hard she tried, she couldn't open her eyes. She felt trapped, like the time she had slipped when she'd been ice-skating and gone underwater, only to see a solid sheet of ice blocking the outside world from her. Rogue would have died if it hadn't been for the extremely nice boy that had gone after her, plunging into the icy depths of the river and grabbing her small, fragile body. He had swam over to a stronger patch of ice and climbed up, all the while holding tightly onto Rogue, who had blue lips and was shivering with a combination of cold and fright. She had gripped his hand, with bare fingers, until Irene, her foster mother had come to retrieve her from the emergency room. Rogue had only been eight years old, still allowed to have human contact, and forever thankful to a young man whose name she never learned.   
  
Rogue vowed to herself that day that life was a gift, and she never forgot it, not until the fated afternoon she kissed her date, at the school dance, and he spent several months in a coma. Afterwards, she had let herself grow bitter and cold, a pang of loneliness always rooted deep in her heart. She had let herself grow more attached to the people around her when she moved into Charles Xavier's Institute for Gifted Youngsters, but Rogue knew she would never feel at complete ease. She felt sad and horribly abandoned most days, even while surrounded by dozens of teenage kids in school and at home. She felt miserable when she heard girls whispering in the cafeteria about which guy they dated, which handsome football player kissed the best, and how many babies one girl wished to have with her boyfriend or future husband. She would never have that, a lingering passionate kiss, or being pregnant and giving birth to a baby that had been made out of love, and then raising that child with her mate.   
  
Solitude was the key word in Rogue's life, not by choice but because of necessity. If she went up and kissed a boy, he would crumple to the floor, half dead and then probably become comatose. Sometimes Rogue wanted to clench her fists and scream at the world. Why was she cursed with being a mutant? Why did it have to be her? Who were her real parents, who was the mother that had given birth to her and then just simply left? Other mutants had awesome powers, like phasing through walls and electronics and moving objects with their minds, as well as having control of when they wanted to use their powers. Rogue had no such choice. Her power was active, all the time, very much like Scott Summers, but whose deadly laser eyes were protected with ruby stone glasses. At least Scott could touch another person, without fear of killing them. Yes, Rogue could touch another person, but through a barrier, her gloves. It wasn't much but she always reminded herself not to take it for granted, even though it tore at her heart to put on the gloves every morning and only remove them before she went to bed.   
  
Rogue stirred on her blanket, immediately alerting Kitty, who was sprawled out on her own blanket, eating cookies and sipping her bottled water. Kitty watched Rogue, waiting for another sign that she was awakening but Rogue remained still. Kitty leaned over and carefully picked up one of Rogue's gloved hands. Rogue shivered noticeably but Kitty didn't flinch. Instead, she gripped her fingers around Rogue's hands, applying a slightly painful pressure. Rogue moved a little more, trying to estrange her hand from Kitty's surprisingly strong grip.   
  
"If you want me to let go, wake up, Rogue. I know you're there, somewhere. Rogue, you can't stay unconscious, I hope you're aware. Linda's life depends on this." Kitty said, knowing a verbal response wasn't to be expected from the other mutant girl, but still oddly waited for it. "You know what, fine. Let's see how much this hurts." she said and tightened her hold, a satisfied smile on her face when Rogue automatically tried to pull away, tugging forcefully.   
  
"Let go. Let go of me." Rogue murmured and then suddenly went still on the blanket. Kitty dropped her hand and bent over her, concern in her brown eyes. "I can't wake up... can't wake up. Something is in my way. Kitty."   
  
Kitty gasped as she realized that Rogue had actually spoken, and had even said her name. "Rogue, I'm right here. Come on, just open you're eyes. I ... uh... can splash some cold water on you if you want." she said, a bit hesitantly. The Professor had clearly told her to warn him if any of the girls' conditions changed, but she had defied the rule and was attempting to wake Rogue up by herself. Kitty sighed, but knew that she had gotten somewhere further with Rogue than the Professor had and using that as her motivation, Kitty grabbed her water.   
  
She sprinkled a few drops onto Rogue's face and then a few more when the girl's eyes didn't open. Finally, Rogue seemed to come alive, her eyes blinking open and staring widely back at Kitty.   
  
"She's gone," Rogue whispered, feeling relieved as she realized the insistent pounding in her skull had disappeared and that Linda's presence had also gone. Rogue's skin tingled, a reminder that her power had been recently used. She smiled at Kitty, who had settled down beside her. "So is she awake yet?"   
  
"I guess it'll take a few more minutes. She awoke before, though, while you were still unconscious. It was really surprising. She's as powerful as you said, then."   
  
"I could feel it, her mutant power, and it was similar to Jean and Scott's. Expect they have already have a good amount of control on their powers and this girl doesn't. There's this huge source of energy and strength behind her power, but Linda hasn't yet figured out how to use it. The Professor, and the other teachers here are going to teach her to become an X-Men, one of us."   
  
"She's going to be an X-Men?" Kitty asked incredulously. "Already?"  
  
"Apparently, the Professor decided this after her practice run in the Danger Room. She's an awesome acrobat and her power, well, you saw it, Kitty. This girl will be unstoppable one day." Rogue said and glanced over where Linda peacefully slept, her memories and powers fully restored.   
  
"Unstoppable, huh? Well, she has some tough competition. Jean is very skilled and everyone here knows her telepathy is getting stronger everyday. " Kitty replied, giving the sleeping beauty a skeptical look. "But she might not have to compete against Jean for one thing: Scott."  
  
Rogue felt an old pang of remorse and sadness at the mention of Scott and the two girls that had captured his attention. Linda and Jean were beautiful, each in her own unique way, and they were both mutants with extraordinary powers. Rogue felt like a complete outcast around Jean, because the other girl was better than her in seemingly every way possible. After touching Linda, Rogue didn't feel the same way about her as she did Jean. Linda had some quality of loneliness in her, although it was deeply rooted and easily hidden from the rest of the world, and Rogue identified with that. She definitely knew what it felt like to be alone, to not have the most basic of human abilities - touch.   
  
"I could definitely tell she liked Scott. And that she is going to do whatever it takes to get him, even destroying the possible chance of a friendship with Jean." Rogue answered, feeling a hint of jealousy. She hadn't understood her attraction to Scott, knowing only at that time that whenever she was around him, her heart began beating faster and that there was a fluttering sensation in her stomach. It had been a crush out of lust and raging teenage hormones, but she knew she'd never forget it.   
  
"Well, Linda is a very pretty girl, so I don't think getting Scott will be a challenge for her. I mean, like, hello, here comes this new exciting mutant, so who wouldn't be attracted? Scott needs a break from all the Jean drooling he does," Kitty remarked and Rogue smiled at her words.   
  
"Jean sure enjoys the attention, though. She strings along both boys, the jock dude Duncan and our tragic hero, the X-Men leader, Scott." Rogue commented, not bothering to mask the bitterness in her voice. "She's a spoiled brat,"   
  
"Jean had a lot of hard times in her life, like all of us, so I can't really label her as a spoiled brat. She's just a guy magnet, I guess." Kitty said, trying to quickly steer the conversation away from Jean, because she knew Rogue didn't particularly like the redheaded girl.  
  
"A guy magnet is what I'm not." Rogue said and briskly stood up and moved away from Kitty, who stared at her back in puzzlement.   
  
A few minutes later, Linda began showing the first signs of regaining consciousness. Kitty was lying beside her and still pondering the conversation she'd had with Rogue. She knew the meaning behind Rogue's rapid exit, knew that it hurt deeply that she would never have a boyfriend, a husband, another person to share her life. Kitty sighed, feeling almost as if there was something weighing her shoulders down. Everyone at the Xavier Institute, including it's founder, Charles Xavier, would never completely understand Rogue. Rogue forbade the Professor to ever explore her mind and reveal long hidden secrets and she kept the rest of the students, as well as teachers, at a distance. She was a mystery never to be solved, Rogue personally thought, and until this fateful afternoon, she'd been the only X-Man untouched by Charles' Xavier's telepathy.   
  
Kitty just hoped Rogue wouldn't freak out when she discovered that the Professor had probed her mind, although his intention hadn't been to read her thoughts. Suddenly Linda groaned loudly, one hand clutching her temple as if she were experiencing a bad headache.   
  
"Linda, what's wrong? Are you alright? Lin...?" Kitty paused, bending over the girl at the sound of pain she'd emitted.   
  
For a moment, it seemed like Sarah had spoken, and Linda smiled in relief that her best friend was with her. She always associated the warm content feeling in her heart to Sarah's presence. It felt as if they sometimes had a physic, twin-like, connection between them. The other seemed to know when one was in pain, or was feeling angry, sad or upset about something. There had been several incidents when the girls had been forced to rely on their instincts, especially three summers ago, when Linda had nearly drowned in the lake, during camp. Sarah had been eating her lunch in the mess hall when suddenly a strange, paralyzing fear came over her. Instead of falling to the ground and screaming, Sarah had immediately ran to the river, not even aware that her feet were carrying her there. She'd felt a chilling wetness slide over her, along with the fear, and had thought of the river right away. She'd saved Linda's life that day, diving into the murky depths of the river after her best friend, and pulling Linda onto the small rowboat she'd been on. Apparently, the boat's engine had died, right in the middle of the lake, and while yanking the string to get the motor running again, Linda had slipped and hit her head hard on the side of the boat. She fell into the water, knocked out cold and would have drowned, because her life jacket had been loosely tied, if it hadn't been for Sarah.   
  
"Linda! Wake up right now! I mean it!" Kitty's voice suddenly sliced through the blackness that coated her vision and Linda came awake with a jolt.   
  
For an instant, she pictured Sarah's light brown hair with it's streaks of blue and red, and Sarah's captivating blue eyes, but when her blurry vision came into focus, she saw instead a pretty brunette with piercing brown eyes. Kitty snapped her fingers, giving Linda a witty smile. "I got you awake, finally. Like, it's been practically an hour since you blacked out."   
  
"Where's Sarah?" asked Linda, still half asleep and hoping that her best friend was around. She glanced around in distress, a hurt look in her eyes.   
  
"Whoever that is, she's not here. Are you, like, still sleeping? Wake up!" Kitty said, blowing a strand of pesky hair away from her eyes. "Linda, I'm going to get the Professor. I think he needs to check out. Don't move a muscle."   
  
Linda nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She knew she'd start screaming in frustration and despair if she did. How could she possibly think Sarah was here, in the Xavier Institute, a school for mutants? First of all, Sarah was no mutant; she was just an ordinary teenage girl. Second of all, Sarah barely remembered Linda, ever since the accident that Linda's emerging powers had caused. Sarah's memory would come back, since the lapse of memory was only temporary, but Linda had know since the screaming ambulance had driven her best friend away, that she and Sarah would never have the relationship they had before.   
  
A lone tear slid down Linda's cheek, landing on her lips and then continuing it's trail until the tear splashed onto the blanket, creating a small wet spot. Linda stared forlornly at it, miserable. Her head ached a little, she was hungry, and the past three hours or so seemed to be gone from her memory. She could only recall a Danger Room session with Wolverine and Storm and a few snatches of conversation with Kitty in her bedroom hallway, but then it stopped. After that, there was a blank and no matter how hard she tried, nothing came to her. It was like that segment of time had been completely erased.   
  
"Linda, how are you feeling? Does you're head hurt a bit?" Charles Xavier rolled his wheelchair over to Linda and took one of her hands in his. He'd come immediately, as soon Kitty's panicked voice had telepathically reached him. The other girl stood beside him now, her usually cheerful brown eyes filled with confusion and worry. He could sense Kitty's concern, even without reading her mind.   
  
"I can't remember the last three hours, I think. All I remember is eating with you, and Kitty, and the rest of the students here. Then, just talking to Kitty in the hallway. That's when everything goes blank." Linda said, looking at the two of them with frightened green eyes.   
  
"I'll explain everything to you. Kitty you may leave," The Professor said and Kitty nodded, turning and heading away from the Linda and Prof. X.   
  
  
  
Kitty nodded and headed towards Kurt, who had just teleported into the Danger Room with Bobby by his side. Bobby, whose codename was Iceman, had an open, bleeding gash on his forehead and his jeans had torn at the knee. Kitty ran over to the boys, the reality of the earthquake finally sinking in. It had already caused a lot of stress and worry, with Rogue absorbing Linda's power, and now Bobby stood there, physically injured.   
  
"Where is everyone else?" she asked, breathless, as she caught up with the boy mutants.   
  
"A lot of debris fell into the pool, including half the garage. The pool also cracked right down the middle and now there is a gap between the two sides. And everyone who went swimming tonight is trapped. Beast and Logan are working on removing the debris to get the students and Ororo out. Jean is helping them too, but they're not having much luck. Iceman and I came here to get you. Beast thought immediately of you're power. We need you to get everyone out." Kurt said, grabbing the girl's shocked hand.   
  
"If we don't get them out, they might suffocate in there. We're all counting on you." Bobby said, smiling encouragingly at her. He desperately hoped she would be able to help them. If she didn't, then many lives would be lost.   
  
"How did you get out, then?" asked Kitty, swaying a little on her feet from the fright that threatened to overwhelm her.   
  
"I wasn't swimming when the earthquake struck. I got hit by some rolling lounge chairs, though, and then Logan found me, about several hundred feet away from the pool. Then Mr. McCoy suggested that we get you, because of you're ability to phase through solid matter. Now we're here."   
  
"Oh." Kitty mumbled, "Now suddenly I wish I didn't have that power."   
  
"Oh no, Kitty. You be glad you possess such a gift. Now, take my hand. We need to go. Time is running out for our friends." Kurt said, holding out a three-fingered hand to her. She took it reluctantly, doubt clouding her eyes. "Don't be afraid. We've got major back-up over there. And you have me."   
  
The last thing Kitty saw before they disappeared in a fume of smoke was Kurt's wink. 


	4. Awakening: I'll Be There For You

Title: Awakening chapter 4: I'll Be There For You  
  
Author: IceAngel8  
  
Disclaimer: No one but Linda belongs to me! All of the known characters belong to their respectful owners! No infringement intended. All writing is done for the purposes of fun.   
  
Feedback: Now this is tricky. I've recieved only 8 reviews for three chapters! Come on, I expected a little more. Make me happy! Please? I mean, I write for myself, and you, as the audience. Shouldn't I get you're opinions in return? All comments are welcomed.   
  
Author's Notes: I've rewritten this about two times and although this is far from perfection, it's good enough to be posted. Actually, this chapter is very sweet. For all you Jean/Scott fans, I'm sorry... but you wouldn't want to read this!   
  
Chapter Four: I'll Be There For You  
  
Kurt, Kitty and Bobby arrived in the backyard of the Xavier Institute, by Kurt's teleporting smoke. Kitty stared at the damaged grounds with wide, startled eyes. The pool was completely in devastation and looked to be beyond repair. Half the garage, including Logan's preciously cared for motorcycle, had been heaved into the pool, where it laid at the bottom. Lots of floating debris was on either side of the pool, blocking any possible exits. Kitty couldn't see into the area where Ororo and the students were, because it was covered by a large chunk of the garage wall that had broken off and was now dangerously closing off the group. But Kitty knew she would be able to use her intangibility and phase through to them. Jean, Beast and Wolverine were all attacking the stack of debris; Jean was attempting to move the broken wall out of the way but it was water lodged and too heavy to even budge with her telekinesis; Beast and Wolverine were both in the water, clearing a path through all the garbage that lay in the pool.   
  
"This place is a mess, Kurt. How am I supposed to reach them?" she asked, edging a little closer to the pool. Jean sensed the new arrival's presence and flew over to them, her green eyes full of trouble and distress.   
  
"I'm going to take you there. I have to drop you into the water and then you're going to need to swim a little to reach the wall. Logan and Beast have cleared a small path for you." Jean said, extending a slender, perfectly manicured hand out to the younger girl.   
  
Kurt nodded quickly. "It's the best plan we have, and we don't have more time to think of another one. If I could teleport inside, I would have, an hour ago. But I can't. The space inside is too small and besides, I do not know what it looks like in there. You must do this, Kitty." Kurt took her hand again and looked into her eyes.   
  
Kitty smiled at the warmth and honesty in his eyes, beginning to feel more confident. She grabbed Jean's hand, willing all the nervousness and fright out of her mind, and then Jean lifted them both high up into the air. Although Kitty's power allowed her to walk on air, she had never tried it before. Now, as soon as her sandaled feet left the sturdiness of the ground by way of Jean's telekinesis, Kitty let out a startled gasp.   
  
"Are you okay, Kitty?" asked Jean, giving her fellow X-Man a concerned look. "Don't worry, I've got everything under control here. I'm not going to accidentally drop you. But be prepared to jump into the pool when I give you the signal, alright?"   
  
"Yeah, alright." Kitty nodded to show she understood. Jean gave her a reassuring look and then closed her eyes, concentrating on propelling them towards the water. Kitty watched in amazement as she was gently carried over to the pool, until Jean and she hovered just about three feet over the water.   
  
"Okay, I'm going to lower you a little more, Kitty, and then let go. Take a deep breath. And be careful, alright?" Jean said, her eyes still firmly closed.   
  
Kitty felt herself being lowered, an inch by an inch, until she could see Jean above her, a whole foot away. She looked down and saw the blue water, no longer as inviting as it usually seemed. Kitty took a deep breath and a moment later, Jean let go, and Kitty plunged into the cold water with a splash.   
  
It was bone-chillingly cold in the water and she shivered. Logan's motorcycle and half the garage were lying at the very bottom of the pool, looking like a big mess of twisted metal and splintered wood. Thankfully, the X-Van, nor Jean's jeep and Scott's convertible had been parked in the garage that night, or therefore they would have been submerged right now. Kitty swam smoothly through the water, thankful that Hank and Logan had cleared a path for her through all the debris that littered the pool. When Kitty reached the shallow end of the pool, she saw the downed garage wall, blocking any possible exits for the rest of the X-Man in the water.   
  
She concentrated, took another deep breath and phased through the wall with a whoosh. The phasing left a ticklish, almost pleasant sensation on her skin.   
  
"Oh, Kitty, thank goodness you've arrived!" Ororo cried, wrapping her arms around the girl's slender form. "You are an angel. A beautiful brown- haired angel."   
  
"Ah, don't thank me. I'm just doing what's right," Kitty blushed, pleased at Ororo's choice of words to describe her. It was great to know that she was an angel in some people's eyes.   
  
"Hey, Kit. Glad you came. I don't think I can stay here much longer. The water is not as great as it was before," Jubilee said, waving meekly to her friend.   
  
Kitty swam towards her and took her hand, giving it a squeeze. "You don't have to stay here another minute, Jubilee. Come on, I'm getting you out of here. You're lips are like totally blue, you know."   
  
"Hey, what about us?" Jamie cried, waving a hand wildly at Kitty. Suddenly three more Jamie incarnations appeared, giving Kitty four very disappointed looks.   
  
"Now Jamie, be thankful Kitty risked her own skin to come here. She'll take Jubilee first because Jubilee has been in the water for a longer amount of time than you have. I don't want her getting sick," Ororo said and without further comment, Jamie shut his mouth and slumped against the garage wall. Roberto and Rahne patted him on the back for effort.   
  
Jubilee hooked hands with Kitty, standing just inches away from the garage wall. With a last wave to the small group, she and Kitty phased out onto the other side. Once there, Jubilee called for Jean to get her and Kitty went back inside the enclosed space where the rest of her teammates were trapped. Jean raised Jubilee with her telekinesis and safely dropped her off with Kurt, Bobby, Hank and Logan, who all stood on the edge of pool, grim expressions on their faces.   
  
"I'm going back. Kitty's coming out with Roberto." Jean said and with a leap, she was high in the air, her red hair gleaming in the sun, her green eyes full of determination and power. To Logan, Jean resembled a phoenix at that moment, flying in the air as if she had suddenly sprouted wings, with that long mane of fiery red hair. Logan held a strange kind of respect towards Jean, ever since the incident when her growing powers had gone completely out of control. He realized that now Jean had to maintain the utmost control over her mutant abilities and that if she ever lost that control, havoc would occur.   
  
A minute later, Jean arrived with Roberto, who looked unusually disappointed. He sat down on the ground, his eyes narrowed in anger or frustration, Logan couldn't decipher, and his mouth was set in a firm line.   
  
"Aren't you glad half pint fished you out of that hell-hole? You don't look very happy to me, kid, and someone just gave you a second chance to make a difference in this world." Logan said, his arms folded squarely across his chest.   
  
"I wouldn't need that second chance if Storm had only let me use my power to free us all. Instead, Jean and Kitty have to help us out... and we could all be already safe if I only had used my mutant power." Roberto said, staring back at Logan with a hard stare of his own. For some reason, the man had never scared him, although he knew the other mutants had always maintained a safe distance from Logan.   
  
"Did it ever occur to you that you're mutant power wasn't the answer to this situation? Kid, the whole area was blocked. There was a few rays of sunlight coming through and as far as I know, that ain't enough fuel for your almighty power." Logan replied and with a shake of his head, moved away from Roberto before the urge to throttle the kid overwhelmed him.   
  
Twenty minutes later, Kurt had teleported everyone into the Danger Room, the safest place under the circumstances. Kitty had gone after Rahne and Ororo, and had safely guided them through the garage wall and then Jean had taken over from there, using her telekinesis to take Rahne to land. Ororo had kicked up a mighty wind and had blown the heavy, water lodged garage wall right onto the lawn, and then had flown back to the group. Then finally Kurt had started teleporting, taking three people with him on each trip until everyone was inside the sturdy walls of the Danger Room.   
  
"So what's going to happen to us?" Linda asked Scott, who had settled down beside her on the blanket she had spread out across the floor. There had been no residual effects of Rogue's powers, as far as the Professor could tell, and both girls felt physically fit, as they before the skin to skin contact. Linda felt like herself almost instantly, and conversing with Scott just proved it. She had seen him stagger into the Danger Room with two others boys, Ray and Sam, while Jean had been called outside to the pool in an apparent rescuing mission. Knowing that she probably wouldn't have another chance to privately spend some time with Scott for a while, because the earthquake was keeping them inside the Danger Room, Linda had called Scott over.   
  
"We're going to stay here for at least another day, the Professor says. Logan and Hank assessed the damage upstairs and they say it isn't completely bad. A lot of things are broken but it's still livable. I'm definitely ready to go back to my room." Scott said, giving her an easy, fully charming smile.   
  
Linda felt like melted butter when she saw him smiling at her. He was just so handsome, so sweet... unlike any other guy, or boyfriend she'd ever had. Just sitting next to him, talking, even in this unpleasant situation, Linda felt at ease. She was glad that somehow, in someway, Jean had lost her chance with Scott. Well, maybe not completely lost it, but Jean was currently unavailable, as Kitty had told her, because of a certain high school jock for a boyfriend.   
  
"Yeah, sleeping here will be a new experience. I wish we could go back to our rooms already. I mean, I only arrived today, but everything looks so cool and high-tech around here. And my room has a stereo in it, with high surround sound and the Professor even gave me my own laptop!" Linda exclaimed with excitement, her green eyes lighting up.   
  
Scott felt entranced as he watched her speak, her dark brown hair falling across her shoulders in a smooth sweep, her eyes focused completely on him... the way her mouth moved... all of it made him feel like he had felt for Jean. All he could suddenly think of was kissing Linda soundly and wrapping his arms around her slender form. Scott knew, already, that he had a crush on Linda. He just didn't know where his passionate feelings for Jean had gone. He had liked Jean far longer than Linda, but now, nothing in him stirred when he thought of the redheaded girl.   
  
"Yeah, the Professor is a great guy." Scott said, regaining his voice, although his covered eyes never left Linda's face.   
  
"I'm glad we have a lot in common, Scott. Very glad. I think you and I are going to become great friends." she said, reaching over to grasp his hand in hers. It was like an electrical shot. Sparks raced up their arms when they touched and Scott tightened his hold.   
  
"I guess we have a magical connection, eh?"   
  
"Most definitely, Scott Summers." Linda answered back and then, acting completely on instinct, she leaned in and gave him a long, slow, full of meaning kiss. He didn't pull away and instead, acting on his own desire, wrapped an arm around her waist as he kissed her back.   
  
Thankfully, they were sitting in a secluded section of the Danger Room, covered by shadows, where none of the bright lights could reach them. They continued kissing, suddenly desperate for more contact, more of each other. It was very early in their relationship, but they had clicked since the moment that they had met, and had subconsciously wanted to kiss each other since that very moment.   
  
A moment later, they separated, needing air, and gave each other huge grins.   
  
"I've been wanting to do that ever since I saw you, Scott Summers. I'm glad we didn't waste much time," Linda said, leaning seductively towards him.   
  
"Me too... Linda Goldstein." Scott said and gave her a lightening quick kiss for effect. He felt like he was walking on a cloud.   
  
Although Linda didn't want to break their happy mood, she knew the question of Jean would come up between them anyway. "So... I hope you don't get mad, but Kitty told me that you and Jean Grey were close... close enough for a relationship. I just want to know now... and before you say anything, I'm not meaning to pry, Scott. I just really, really like you."   
  
At the mention of Jean's name, Scott expected to feel guilty. But nothing happened. All he saw was her face, smiling at him, and nothing else. No guilty feelings over kissing Linda, no guilty feelings about his crush being seemingly over Jean. All he felt was a closeness to Jean, a brother sister kind of bond. And Scott was happy, because next to him was the girl he wanted, a beautiful stranger that had come into his life and turned it around. He'd had enough of chasing after Jean, seeing her with Duncan, and pining away for her and having nothing good come out of it.   
  
"Listen, Linda. The only girl I like is you. Right now, right here. Me and Jean are close, yes, but in a family kind of way. She's my sister, I'm her brother. What Kitty told you could have happened but it didn't. Jean has Duncan and I have you. And I'm happy," Scott said, drawing Linda closer until her faces was inches away from his.   
  
She blinked her eyes, her heart soaring. Scott Summers wanted her... and not Jean. Linda gave him another kiss, smiling into his mouth. "I'm so glad to hear that."   
  
"I thought you would be," Scott said, laughing. They stood up, rushing their pants off, and then Linda started folding the blanket. "Well... maybe later we can get together... because right now everything is crazy, you know. As the leader of the X-Men I have a lot of responsibilities and the Professor will be counting on me to help him out."   
  
"I understand, Scott. You don't have to explain everything to me. I'll be waiting okay?"   
  
"Yeah. Thanks... I really appreciate this, you knowing what I'm going through." Scott said, sighing in relief, elated to hear the words from her.   
  
"One more thing," Linda paused and then after he nodded, continued, "I don't know if we should do this... but when we start dating, we should tell the other guys, as well as Jean. I don't want her to run in on us in school and see us kissing or something. I know what that feels like, Scott, and it's not a pleasant feeling. If she knew about it beforehand, it'll prepare her."   
  
"Okay, we'll call everyone into my room over the weekend and tell them, okay? All I hope is that Jean doesn't take this too personally. She shouldn't do it anyway. She has Duncan." Scott said, getting a little frustrated. It always bugged him the way Jean seemed to know of his crush on her, yet didn't directly acknowledge it, and always flirted with Duncan whenever Scott was around. It bugged Scott like crazy.   
  
"Well she can't throw a fit with everyone there. It'll be fine, Scott, don't worry. Now, I'm going to go look for Kitty. I think she disappeared with that blue boy, Kurt."   
  
Scott nodded, deep in thought, as his new girlfriend walked away to find one of her friends. Linda seemed like a blessing, an angel that had lifted him with her wings. It had been so long since he'd dated, ever since the brief relationship with one of Jean's closest friends, Taryn. Now, finally, he had a beautiful girl that was interested in him... Scott felt unbelievably happy, and with that thought in his mind, went off to find either Kurt or the Professor.   
  
~~~ 


	5. Profile: Linda Goldstein

Author: Blustarzengel3 (previously 'IceAngel8')   
  
Disclaimer: Linda belongs solely to me, as do her powers and everything about her! No stealing!  
  
Feedback: Happily welcomed.  
  
Author's Notes: I just did this in like fifteen minutes. I wanted to give you a look at Linda through the Professor's eyes. This is her file in Cerebro. I hope you enjoy reading this. Reviews are wanted very much too!  
  
Xavier Institute Student Files  
  
Director: Charles Xavier  
  
Student Name: Linda Alyssa Goldstein  
  
~  
  
Institute status: New recruit, soon to be an X-Man. Has shown extraordinary team membership qualities.  
  
~  
  
Age: 16  
  
~  
  
School Grade & Status: 11th grader/ Junior   
  
~  
  
Parents: Peter and Maria Goldstein; currently living in Manhatten, NYC. Neither parent has the mutant gene.   
  
~  
  
Nationality: Polish/Russian from father's side; Italian from mother's side  
  
~  
  
Religion: Father is Jewish, mother is Roman Catholic; Linda is Catholic  
  
~  
  
Hair color: Dark brown, several red highlights  
  
~  
  
Eye color: Deep green, with flecks of hazel   
  
~  
  
Skin type: Naturally tanned skin; inherited this from mother  
  
~  
  
Siblings: Danielle, age 20; Connie, age 25  
  
~  
  
Allergies: pollen; dust; fur; kiwi; several types of medications  
  
~  
  
Mutant abilities: Can project a wall of energy containing thunder bolts; if concentrating intensely the wall of energy can traps objects/people within it and explode. Power also expands, giving the mutant ability to project explosive energy balls and laserlike beams of lightening bolts from her hands.   
  
~  
  
Mutant codename: Ripple; since the energy wall causes a ripple effect on the air.   
  
~  
  
Skills: Expert training in ballet and gymnastics; very flexible and acrobatic. Has also taken up training for basic self defense with Wolverine.   
  
~ 


	6. Awakening: Midnight Talks

Title: Awakening, chap 4: Midnight Talks  
  
Author: Blustarzengel3 (previously 'IceAngel8')   
  
Feedback: ah.. feedback is heavenly ;) give me a small piece of heaven, please?   
  
Disclaimer: No one is under my possession except for Linda, my beloved character ;)   
  
Chapter four: Midnight Talks  
  
Falling asleep was difficult on the hard, steel floor of the Danger Room. Everyone had an inflatable mattress as a temporary bed, the kind of mattress they advertised on television, and although to a certain extent it was comfortable, it was definitely not the same as the queen sized beds they all had in their bedrooms. No one dared to complain, but everyone's displeasure was evident, especially on the kids' faces. Linda glanced over to her right side and smiled. Scott lay asleep on his mattress, probably the only person to have yet fallen asleep. The lightweight blanket the adults had distributed lay to his side and Linda gently put it over him. The Danger Room was chilly, because it was made entirely of steel and metal. She kissed her fingers and then placed them on Scott's lips, giving him as best a kiss as she could. The adults were all awake, and so were half the kids, and Scott and she hadn't announced the recent change in the status of their relationship to anyone yet.   
  
"Hey, Linda, are you awake?" Kitty asked, patting her friend's shoulder awkwardly.   
  
"No, I'm up. I can't get really comfortable on this thing." Linda answered, turning to Kitty with a forced smile. She hoped the other girl hadn't seen her kiss Scott just two seconds earlier.   
  
"Oh. Sometimes when Rogue takes people's powers and memories away, they kind of feel drained of energy." The brown haired girl said, propping herself up on her elbow.   
  
"Yeah, I was definitely tired before. Felt like I couldn't move my muscles at all. But it went away, you know... and I feel fine now... but is Rogue okay? I mean, does this have any lasting effect on her?"   
  
"She'll have your memories. Not all of them, of course, and they won't be clear. But she'll know more about you than she did before. More than any of us know about you, too." Kitty said and Linda's eyes widened in disbelief.   
  
"Why? And how? Why is Rogue's power so... so destructive? Wait... not destructive, but so unruly?" Linda sat up, her eyes frantically scanning the room for the gothic girl. "She's cursed, Kitty. Her power is not a good mutation."   
  
Kitty was stunned by Linda's choice of words. She sat upright on her mattress and reached towards Linda's hand. "Hey, listen. It might not be the best of powers, but it's a power, and a very useful one, too. Rogue's helped us here at the Institute quite a lot. Everyone does. It's her gift as well as her curse." Kitty paused, giving Linda a frown. "Don't ever say it to her face, Linda. Your words can seriously hurt her,"   
  
Linda sighed, ashamed that she had spoken like that about one of her teammates. She gripped Kitty's hand for a second, letting the other girl know that she was sorry, knowing that it wouldn't be enough if she put it in words. "Maybe I should find Rogue... talk to her. Something about her seems so lonely, so sad and lost. I know her power doesn't allow her to get very close to people, but I want to be her friend."   
  
"Rogue doesn't make friends easily, but since you are a fellow X-Man, she won't be as distant." Kitty said, smiling. She was glad that she'd spoken up for Rogue. Linda had been wrong to view Rogue that way, but it was because she hardly knew the girl.   
  
"I think she will be more lenient toward me. Because of, you know, the power swap and everything. She saw my thoughts. It should give her a pretty good idea of who I am," Linda said, debating whether to go search for the pale skinned girl right now or wait till morning. But in the morning, they would all probably have to rise early and help clean up the mansion. "I'm going to go look for her right now. The Professor might have us do something in the morning and there won't be time to talk to her."   
  
"Okay," Kitty said, settling back down on her makeshift bed. Her eyes fluttered shut, out of exhaustion. She'd been excessively tired since the late evening, after the rescue mission. Kitty had never traveled through solid objects with too many people at once and today she had overused her power. The thought of phasing now brought an ache to her stomach and Kitty blocked out all thoughts involving her mutant abilities. "I'm going to sleep. The rescue mission today wore me out,"   
  
"You were pretty great today, Kitty. Saved a bunch of people's lives, you know." The green eyed girl stood, throwing down her blanket on top of the mattress. Kitty opened her eyes and smiled sheepishly. "You don't have to say anything, but I know you feel heroic. And it's not a bad feeling, Kit,"   
  
"Thanks, Lin," Kitty replied. They had started calling each other by their nicknames shortly after Kitty had returned, in a cloud of Kurt's teleporting smoke. She had then proceeded to recount every single thing that had occurred in the backyard to Linda, who had listened with rapt attention.   
  
The two girls had simply connected. Kitty, who'd been neglected and never had made any close friends at her old school in Illinois saw her opportunity in Linda. Linda was the kind of girl Kitty had never thought to talk too. She seemed like the cheerleader type, dressed in expensive designer label clothes and always having a handsome boyfriend to lean on. Kitty had been far from the truth. Linda was somewhat of a loner, hanging out only with her best friend and a certain small group of people, listening to rock music and wearing clothes that made other teenagers label her as a gothic She'd toned down her style when she had arrived at the Institute, but Linda knew she would never completely forget it. In New York, you dressed based on how you felt and how much money you had.   
  
Linda identified with Rogue because was also a gothic girl. She listened to the same music, dressed in the same clothes, hung out with a small group of people just like her. Linda had lost Sarah in a tragic accident, even though Sarah hadn't actually died, but it still felt that way to Linda. Her emerging powers had caused the accident and the accident had landed her best friend in the hospital, with temporary memory loss. It had separated two seemingly inseparable friends, making them complete opposites. Sarah was the normal teenager, with normal human abilities, while Linda was the girl that had been born with an extra gene, giving her an awesome, although highly uncontrollable, power. They were worlds apart now and like Kitty, Linda saw her opportunity in Rogue. She was very much like Linda, in everything except appearances, mutant abilities and personalities. But they liked many of the same things and Linda saw that as an invitation to go talk with Rogue.   
  
  
  
Rogue was sitting atop her mattress in a corner of the Danger Room. She had her headphones on and was staring into space, lost in music that no one else could hear. Linda quickened her pace until she finally reached her. As if sensing that someone was heading in her direction, Rogue looked up and met Linda's eyes. A moment passed. Rogue's eyes held understanding and apology and Linda smiled in gratitude.   
  
"Hey," she said, settling down beside Rogue on the lumpy bed. "What are you listening to?"   
  
"Evanescence." was Rogue's brief response.   
  
"Hey, I really like that group! The CD is great too," Linda said and Rogue seemed to soften. She offered her headphones to the girl sitting beside her and Linda slipped them on. The lead vocalist's voice was crooning softly on the track and the music was beautiful, piano keys mixed in with banging drums. The song was familiar and Linda hummed along, eyes closed as she let the music take her away. Music always had that effect on her.   
  
"Um... listen, I didn't mean... I wasn't being careful earlier. I should have worn my gloves but there were no earthquake warnings... and New York usually is earthquake free." Rogue muttered, when the music had finished on the CD and Linda had clicked the "stop" button.   
  
"It's okay. I can't blame you for taking the gloves off. Although I have no idea what life is like without human contact, I know it must be difficult and that sometimes removing the gloves will make you feel less of a freak."   
  
Rogue gazed curiously at Linda as she spoke. How had she known Rogue's inner feelings? That she felt freakish, far from normality when her gloves were on? That when she removed them late at night and washed her hands in the sink, she would stare at her pale skin, untouched by the sun, forbidden to ever come into contact with any other person? Rogue never let herself cry, to wallow in self pity, but the tears, the violent anger and anguish were just beneath the surface. When her power had first manifested, Rogue had been so shocked and revengeful that it had scared even her. But over time, and due to a lot of mediation and other kind of help from the Professor, she felt quite better. Her deepest feelings about her mutant abilities would never die away, but Rogue's anger towards herself and the world had softened. Maybe someday a solution would reveal itself and maybe, a miracle would occur and her gloves could finally be removed without fear.   
  
"Thanks," she answered quietly and Linda nodded her head once. "I'm glad someone in this huge place understands me... to a certain point,"   
  
Linda grinned at her sheepishly. "At first I was kind of pissed off at you. I felt like going up to you and demanding an answer from you. I wanted to know why you had done that to me, but then the Professor and Kitty explained things to me. And I understand now, about your abilities."   
  
"So no hard feelings, right?" Rogue asked.   
  
"None," Linda reassured her.   
  
Suddenly Ororo appeared at their sides, a tired look in her usually cheerful crystal blue eyes. She was thoroughly exhausted from all of the day's events and yearned for some soothing sleep. "Girls, everyone is trying to fall asleep. I need you two to go back to your own beds and discuss whatever you were talking about, tomorrow. We're all very, very tired and want sleep. You both look worn out, too. Charles told me what occurred earlier."   
  
"I just wanted to talk to Rogue, Ororo. I haven't seen her... well since, I woke up."   
  
Ororo nodded, smiling at the two young teenage girls. "I'm sorry you girls went through such a difficult situation but everything is better now, so I'm glad. This earthquake really affected us. It's going to be crazy around here again tomorrow. So get a good night's sleep," she said and then turning around, walked back to her own cot.   
  
"I guess I better go then. I'll see you in the morning, Rogue."   
  
"Night," Rogue replied, giving a little wave. She settled down on her very lumpy mattress, trying to make herself comfortable. "Damn stupid old mattress," she muttered under breath. With a sigh she gave up. "We better be here for one night only. Or someone is getting yelled at!"   
  
Quickly removing her gloves, Rogue shoved her hands underneath her blanket and willed herself to fall asleep. Her bare hands tingled, sending a shiver racing down her spine. The events of the day rushed through her brain, a cacophony of memories, thoughts, smiles, laughter and tears. Linda's presence had left her mind, obviously, but her repressed memories still danced around Rogue's head. With a start, Rogue bolted upright. A pale slender hand clutched her forehead as a distant memory - Linda's - replayed in vivid detail.   
  
A girl...young, pretty... with light brown hair streaked purposefully with blue and red. The girl also had the bluest eyes Rogue had ever seen... like clear water on some tropical island. A younger version of Linda sat across from the blue-eyed girl, concentrating intently on reading the history book open in front of her. The other girl sat, idly playing with her when with no warning, she was sent flying across the room, hitting and breaking the window with a horrifying loud smack. Linda had frozen in place, staring with wide eyes as her best friend sailed across the room and then out the window. It all seemed so unreal, so unrealistically unreal... but then there was her screaming and Linda knew she'd never forget it... as Rogue did now too. Sarah had screamed with such fright...such anguish and despair. The sound had broken through Linda's trance and she had begun screaming too, tears running down her face.   
  
Rogue shivered violently and the memory vanished, back into the recesses of her mind, where all the psyches of the people she'd ever absorbed lay. Her skin felt clammy and cool, but oddly inside, she felt hot and flushed. The world seemed to spin for a few seconds and Rogue blinked, trying to control her dizziness but to no avail.   
  
// this never happened before... never. I've never been like this after touching someone... what's going on? //   
  
She closed her eyes, willing for sleep to come. The dizziness faded into black and then Rogue knew of nothing else.   
  
~~~ 


End file.
